Defective package ejector for cigarette packaging machines



G. H. LITTLE July 23, 1935.

DEFECTIVE PACKAGE EJECTOR FOR CIGARETTE PACKAGING MACHINES Original Filed June 28, 1930 mm in mwkwww Q MNN N m V ATTORNEY Patented July 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEFECTIVE PACKAGE EJECTOR FOR CIGA- RETTE PACKAGING MACHINES George H. Little, Winston-Salem, N. 0., assignor to It. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application June 28, 1930, Serial No. 464,455

Renewed December 20, 1932 9 Claims. (01. 209-80) This invention relates to an improvement in packaging machines, and particularly to cigarette packaging-machines, its main object being to separate the defective packages from the perfect packages automatically. Withthese and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended. Y i

In cigarette packaging machines, it has heretofore been customary to automatically examine the packages for short or missing cigarettes, be-

operator.

With the object of eliminating this disadvantage, the device described in the present application is so arranged that the electric current established by the contact in the feeler due-to'an imperfect package, energizes an electromagnet which, by the attraction of its'armature, causes the movement of a lever which, in turn,.raises a, gravity controlled pawlrso that thelatter momentarily locks the pusher producing th'eadvance of the packages causing the defective package,

to remain in the path-of the next packagerejected from'the turret,rwhich thus is made to eject the defective package out of the delivery pathway.

In the accompanying drawing" which forms a' part of this specification and in which'like characters of-reference refer to the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a top view of a'cigarette packaging machine turretand delivery pathway equipped with,

the improved ejecting device, and t Fig. 2 is an elevationof the mechanism shown in Fig; 1-;

In carrying the invention intoeffect, there is provided means for advancing packages, av package inspecting device, andmechanism controlled by saiddevice to cause ejection ofdefective packages from said advancing means; Inthe'best constructions contemplated, the

way, and therefore requiresthe attention of an 7 advancing: means includes a rotary turret having--thein5 specting device disposed at one station thereof,

a pathway receiving the packages from another station of the turret, a plunger discharging packages from said turret on to said pathway, and a pusher advancing the packages along said pathway. In the best constructions, also, said mechanism includes a pivoted stop controlled by said inspecting device to lock the pusher when the defective package is discharged on the'pathway, so that when the next package is discharged from the turret, it will eject the defective package from the pathway. The means above referred to may be widely varied-in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular machine selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and 'de scribed. V

- Referring to the drawing, 5 isthe turret of a cigarette packagingmachine in which the package P, the ends of which are still open, is examined by the inspecting device 6 when in a position of the turret five: steps removed from the delivery: position in which the plunger! pushes the finished package P" into the delivery pathway 8.' 'The latter, at its receiving end, has the reciprocating pusher 9 which starts each package asreceived from the turret on its way'toward the delivery end, thereby pushing all thepackages contained in the pathway by one stepat every forward stroke. The pusher 9 rests'on the cross bars it} and II which are suitably attached to the bottom of the pathway, and has'fastened thereto the bracket l 2 which is pulled forward by the spring I3 attached to the extension arm [4 of a slottedlever l5 engaging with a pin it in bracket l2 and actuated by a pivoted cam lever ll controlled by a cam l3 sothat the spring I 3can pull the pusher, 9 toward the delivery end of the pathway in the forward position of lever I5.

On a pin 19, carried by cross bar II, is pivoted a pawl or stop 26, the heavy forward portion of which is normally in its down position so that a horizontal pin 2! attached to the outer end ofits rear portion is normally held in its up positiont On the pin 2| rests the end of a finger i 22, the forward endof which, by mea'ns of pm 23, is' pivoted to a double arm lever on which it is held against a stop 25 bya' spring-25. The

lever 24 is pivoted on pin 21, carried by bracket 28 attached to the bottom of pathway 8 in such amannerthat its free end extends into the path of a number of movable horizontal pins 29 slid ably supported in a rotating disk 30fmounted on a horizontal shaft'3l supported in a pedestal 32',

The ends of the pins normally project beyond the outer face of the disk 3i! so that they may be horizontally displaced as hereinafter described. There are as many pins 29 in the disk 39 as there are pockets in turret 5, and the disk 30 is intermittently rotated in synchronism with the turret by means of a crank pin 33 in disk 34 on shaft 35 which, by rod 35, rocks a lever 31, loosely mounted. on the shaft 31 and carrying the pawl 38 engaging the ratchet 38, which is fas-,

tened to shaft 3i. To pedestal 32 is fixedly attached, concentric with shaft 3|, a disk 40 provided with an oblique slot in which is fastened a leaf-spring iii, the outer end of which extends diagonally across the space between disks 3i] and 46 and underlies the free end of lever 24.

The ends of the pins are engaged and horizontally displaced by the armature 42 of electromagnet 13 whenever the former, which is pivoted on the horizontal pin it in bracket 45, is attracted by the latter which occurs each time the circuit of battery 56 is closed by one of the feeler-pins 4'? of inspecting device 6 which are spring pressed into contact with the insulated contact strip 4% whenever the package contains one or more defective cigarettes, the return circuit being by way of the machine frame through spring contact 45 from the inspecting device, one end of the magnet coil G3 being connected by wire through the battery it to the contact strip 43 while the other end is grounded to the machine frame by connection 51. The pins 29 are guarded against accidental displacement by a disk 52 mounted on the end of shaft 3|.

The outer side wall of pathway 3 opposite the discharging pocket of turret 5 is formed by the movable shutter 53 mounted on cam lever 54, which is fulcrumed on the pivot of the lever H, the roller 55 of which is held by spring 56 against cam 51 which is so timed that the shutter 53 is moved in such manner to prevent the perfect packs from being thrown out of the pathway, by swinging to a position blocking the discharged packages each time shortly before the plunger ends its forward stroke.

The operation of the device is as follows:

When the package P under examination contains one or more short cigarettes or has a cigarette missing, one or more of the feeling fingers 41, upon the forward motion of the inspection device 6, will penetrate into the package, thereby closing the electric circuit of the battery 46 and energizing the electromagnet 4 3. The latter thus will attract its armature 42, thereby pushing one of the pins 29 into the space between disks 3!] and 40. The pin so displaced, upon traveling six steps around shaft 3| with disk 30, comes into contact with and raises the projecting end of lever 24 at the time when the package P, after five steps of the turret 5, has been delivered into pathway 8 at P, and the next following package P, after the sixth step, is about to be discharged by the plunger l. Ordinarily, the motion of lever I! at that time causes the pusher 9 to move the last package P forward in the delivery pathway, thereby advancing all the packages in the pathway. But, in the case of a defective package,

the raising of lever 24 by the then displaced pin' 29 causes the pawl 28 to be turned from its normal dotted position into the full line position shown in Fig. 2, thereby resting on the horizontal extension of bracket [2 while the pusher 9 performs its return stroke from the preceding package, and snapped into the position shown by the action of spring 26, upon the completion of the stroke, thus locking the pusher against forward motion so that the package P remains in its delivered position and is ejected through the then open wall of the chute by the next package P when the latter is discharged from the turret by the plunger 1. Upon the next following step, the displaced pin 29 engages with the spring 6! which pushes it back into its normal position in disk 38, in which position all pins remain as long as only perfect packages are encountered by the inspection device.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with means for advancing packages, of a package inspecting device cooperating withsaid means for detecting defective packages, nd mechanism controlled by said inspecting device to cause ejection of defective packages from said advancing means, said means including a rotary turret having said device disposed adjacent one station thereof to detect defective packages, a pathway, and a pusher advancing packages along said pathway, and said mechanism including an ejector arranged to discharge the packages from another station of said turret on said pathway, and a stop arranged to lock the pusher when a defective package is discharged on said pathway.

2. The combination with means for advancing packages, of mechanism arranged to cause ejection of defective packages from said advancing means, said means including a pathway and a pusher advancing the packages along said pathway and said mechanism including a pivoted stop arranged to lock the pusher, a lever controlling said stop, an intermittently rotating disk, axially displaceable pins mounted in said disk to actuate said lever to move the stop locking position when one of the pins is in displaced position, and an electrical device operable when said inspecting device detects a defective package to move one of said pins into displaced position.

3. The combination with means for advancing cigarette packages, of a. package inspecting device arranged to enter one end of the packages in said means to detect packages having short or' and a spring connected to said lever and pusher,

and said mechanism including a stop adapted to engage said pusher to prevent advancing movement thereof.

4. The combination with means for advancing cigarette packages, of a package inspecting device arranged to enter one end of the packages in said means to detect packages having short or missing cigarettes, and mechanism controlled by said device to cause said means to eject packages having short or missing cigarettes, said means including rotating turret, a reciprocating plunger adapted to discharge the packages from said turret on its forward stroke, a pathway to receive the discharged packages, and a cam operated shutter timed to move into position to block the discharged package shortly before the end of the forward stroke ofsaid plunger.

5. The combination with means for advancing cigarette packages, of a package inspecting device arranged. to enter one end of the packages in said means to detect packages having short or missing cigarettes, said means including a rotating turret adjacent one station of which said device isarranged, a pathway arranged to receive packages discharged by said turret, a plunger adapted to discharge the packages from another station of said turret onto said pathway and a pusher adapted to advance packages along said pathway; I

6. The combination with means for advancing packages, of mechanism tocause said means to eject packages, said means including a rotating turret, a plunger adapted to discharge the packages from said turret, a pathway to receive the discharged packages, and a pusher adapted to advance the packages along said pathway, and said mechanism including a stop adapted to lock said pusher against advancing movement, whereby to stop the defective package in the path of the following packages while latter is discharged from said turret and cause the defective package to be ejected from said pathway.

'7. The combination with means for advancing groups of cigarettes, of a corresponding group of independently movable feelers engaging cigarettes in said means, and interposed mechanism actuated by abnormal movement of any one of said feelers due to a defective group to cause said means to eject said defective group, said means including a rotary turret, a plunger adapted to discharge the groups from said turret, a pathway to receive the discharged groups, and a'pusher adapted to push the groups along said pathway, and said mechanism including a stop adapted to engage said pusher to prevent advancing movement thereof.

8; The combination with means for advancing groups of articles, of an inspecting device associated with said means and including a corresponding group of independently movable feelers for engaging said articles, and mechanism actuated only by abnormal movement of one or more of said feelers when in engagement with a defective group to cause said means to eject the defective group of articles as a unit, said means including a rotary turret, a plunger adapted to discharge the groups from said turret, a pathway to receive the discharged groups and a pusher adapted to push the groups along said pathway, and said mechanism including a stop actuated by said device to engage said pusher to prevent advancing movement thereof.

9. The combination with means for advancing cigarette packages, of a package inspecting device arranged to enter one end of the packages in said means to detect packages having short or missing cigarettes, said means includinga rotating turret adjacent onestation of which said device is arranged, a pathway arranged to receive packages discharged by said turret, a plunger adapted to discharge thepack'ages from another station of said turret onto said pathway and a pusher adapted to advance packages along said pathway, and means controlled by said device and cooperating with said pathway and plunger to causeejection of defective packages from said pathway.

' GEORGE H. LITTLE. 

